WEBVTT 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:03.160 From Yellowstone National Park where baby bison 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:05.940 are popping up in the prairie This is that Scott 00:00:05.940 --> 00:00:08.500 guy you know and love with a brand new episode 00:00:08.500 --> 00:00:21.899 of this week in Yellowstone What's up everybody 00:00:21.899 --> 00:00:24.940 this week in Yellowstone National Park from April 00:00:24.940 --> 00:00:29.050 9th to April 15th 2026 I will share with you 00:00:29.050 --> 00:00:32.270 why this is the last calm week in the park, tell 00:00:32.270 --> 00:00:34.590 you not to leave a pullout when the animals go 00:00:34.590 --> 00:00:38.189 away, discuss bear management areas, and hope 00:00:38.189 --> 00:00:41.369 to inspire you to go for a hike. I'll also give 00:00:41.369 --> 00:00:43.909 you the complete weather forecast, the snowpack 00:00:43.909 --> 00:00:47.130 update, the wildlife report, and everything else 00:00:47.130 --> 00:00:50.329 you need to have an incredible time this week 00:00:50.329 --> 00:00:54.159 in Yellowstone. Standard disclaimer. I may miss 00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:57.259 a few details here and there. I also mention 00:00:57.259 --> 00:01:00.500 park locations very casually, so if you're unfamiliar 00:01:00.500 --> 00:01:02.920 with anything I say, a quick search can help, 00:01:03.140 --> 00:01:05.299 or you can just reach out to me with any questions 00:01:05.299 --> 00:01:08.340 you may have. Please note that this report only 00:01:08.340 --> 00:01:12.040 covers the drivable areas of the park. Finally, 00:01:12.379 --> 00:01:15.120 This podcast is a passion project. I'm not paid 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:18.060 or sponsored for it. If you enjoy it, I'd love 00:01:18.060 --> 00:01:20.359 a review or a quick email. If you want to support 00:01:20.359 --> 00:01:22.840 my work, check out my hiking and wildlife watching 00:01:22.840 --> 00:01:25.500 guidebooks or join me for a guided hiking tour 00:01:25.500 --> 00:01:28.400 in Yellowstone's backcountry. For more information 00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:32.019 on all of this, visit Outdoor -Society .com or 00:01:32.019 --> 00:01:35.340 just contact me directly. That is TheOutdoorSociety 00:01:35.340 --> 00:01:42.200 at gmail .com or area code 406 -589. 1873 for 00:01:42.200 --> 00:01:45.340 text messages. Seriously though, pick up guidebooks, 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:48.299 review this podcast, and book a trail tour with 00:01:48.299 --> 00:01:51.680 me. You won't regret it. This week's Yellowstone 00:01:51.680 --> 00:01:54.659 news. It's really only two major stories that 00:01:54.659 --> 00:01:57.359 I'll cover this week, so here we go. The first 00:01:57.359 --> 00:02:00.239 is that traffic delays are expected over the 00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:03.079 Gardiner River Bridge. Construction on the Gardiner 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:06.180 River High Bridge located east of Mammoth is 00:02:06.180 --> 00:02:09.159 set to begin on April 13th. and it's going to 00:02:09.159 --> 00:02:12.039 continue through October. Visitors traveling 00:02:12.039 --> 00:02:15.060 between Mammoth and Tower should expect delays 00:02:15.060 --> 00:02:18.000 of up to 15 minutes at any time of the day as 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:20.580 traffic will be reduced to a single lane and 00:02:20.580 --> 00:02:23.310 controlled by a signal. In addition to these 00:02:23.310 --> 00:02:25.889 delays, there will be five planned overnight 00:02:25.889 --> 00:02:29.590 closures between late May and July 1st, with 00:02:29.590 --> 00:02:33.110 road access shut down from 9 p .m. to 4 a .m. 00:02:33.310 --> 00:02:35.449 Once I get those dates, I'll let you guys know, 00:02:35.530 --> 00:02:39.430 so hang in there. Also know that there are also 00:02:39.430 --> 00:02:41.650 important restrictions to be aware of during 00:02:41.650 --> 00:02:44.759 this construction. Vehicles exceeding 8 feet 00:02:44.759 --> 00:02:49.080 6 inches in width, 75 feet in length, or 80 ,000 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:51.840 pounds gross vehicle weight will not be allowed 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:54.719 to pass through this section of road. The other 00:02:54.719 --> 00:02:57.240 main story right now doesn't really impact this 00:02:57.240 --> 00:02:59.900 week, it impacts next week, but I just want to 00:02:59.900 --> 00:03:03.060 give a heads up about it. Interior roads are 00:03:03.060 --> 00:03:05.379 going to start opening up on the 17th of this 00:03:05.379 --> 00:03:08.000 month. Select roads in Yellowstone National Park 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:11.340 are scheduled to open to public vehicles at 8 00:03:11.340 --> 00:03:15.810 a .m. on friday april 17th marking a major step 00:03:15.810 --> 00:03:19.129 of transitioning from winter to summer tourism 00:03:19.129 --> 00:03:22.210 the first roads to open right now are going to 00:03:22.210 --> 00:03:25.509 be the west entrance and that will be open to 00:03:25.509 --> 00:03:30.150 old faithful and all the way up to mammoth so 00:03:30.150 --> 00:03:33.530 mammoth hot springs down to norris all the way 00:03:33.530 --> 00:03:36.189 down to old faithful will be open and also norris 00:03:36.189 --> 00:03:39.530 to canyon is going to be open on the 17th at 00:03:39.530 --> 00:03:42.990 8 a .m Additional roads begin opening phases 00:03:42.990 --> 00:03:45.849 through May with the east entrance over Sylvan 00:03:45.849 --> 00:03:48.569 Pass as well as Hayden Valley usually opening 00:03:48.569 --> 00:03:51.090 around May 1st, that's the scheduled date, then 00:03:51.090 --> 00:03:52.990 that's followed by the south entrance on May 00:03:52.990 --> 00:03:57.909 8th and then by May 22nd all the park roads should 00:03:57.909 --> 00:04:00.849 be open if the weather cooperates. But right 00:04:00.849 --> 00:04:05.449 now on the 17th of this month of April the road 00:04:05.740 --> 00:04:08.539 From Mammoth all the way down to Old Faithful 00:04:08.539 --> 00:04:11.639 and out to Canyon will be open and the west entrance 00:04:11.639 --> 00:04:15.300 to Old Faithful Canyon and Mammoth will be open 00:04:15.300 --> 00:04:18.699 8 a .m. April 17th. I'll talk about it again 00:04:18.699 --> 00:04:23.199 next week My experience of the week Enjoying 00:04:23.199 --> 00:04:27.699 the last calm week So there's a very short window 00:04:27.699 --> 00:04:30.220 each spring in Yellowstone that feels completely 00:04:30.220 --> 00:04:32.540 different from the rest of the year It's happening 00:04:32.540 --> 00:04:35.980 right now and this is the last week that it's 00:04:35.980 --> 00:04:39.480 going to happen because once the roads open, 00:04:39.639 --> 00:04:42.360 as I just talked about, traffic starts to steadily 00:04:42.360 --> 00:04:46.139 climb for the summer tourism season. After this 00:04:46.139 --> 00:04:48.540 week, visitation is going to start ramping up 00:04:48.540 --> 00:04:52.290 quickly. National Park Service stats say that 00:04:52.290 --> 00:04:54.670 Yellowstone receives the vast majority of its 00:04:54.670 --> 00:04:57.250 more than four million annual visitors between 00:04:57.250 --> 00:05:00.430 late May and September, and those numbers begin 00:05:00.430 --> 00:05:04.769 to rise sharply as the interior roads open on 00:05:04.769 --> 00:05:08.529 the 17th. This shift is literally just around 00:05:08.529 --> 00:05:11.970 the corner, just talked about it, and that's 00:05:11.970 --> 00:05:16.009 why this week is kind of that last little bit 00:05:16.009 --> 00:05:20.379 of seclusion or calmness. For now, things are 00:05:20.379 --> 00:05:23.379 just chill and it's great. It doesn't mean that 00:05:23.379 --> 00:05:26.100 the park's completely empty, so don't assume 00:05:26.100 --> 00:05:30.600 it will be, but know that it's not that crowded. 00:05:31.420 --> 00:05:34.620 You're gonna see lots of people at pullouts if 00:05:34.620 --> 00:05:37.100 there's wolves or grizzlies or baby bison or 00:05:37.100 --> 00:05:39.660 something like that. That part is never going 00:05:39.660 --> 00:05:42.000 to change in Yellowstone. But outside of those 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:44.399 moments, the roads are quiet in a way that's 00:05:44.399 --> 00:05:47.300 hard to find later in the year. Traffic is very 00:05:47.300 --> 00:05:49.639 light. You can drive for miles without seeing 00:05:49.639 --> 00:05:52.540 another car. The camper vans and long lines of 00:05:52.540 --> 00:05:56.180 summer haven't arrived yet. Tour groups are still 00:05:56.180 --> 00:05:58.540 around but even those feel spaced out especially 00:05:58.540 --> 00:06:01.540 away from those animal sightings. Most of the 00:06:01.540 --> 00:06:04.620 time it's just you, the road, and a landscape 00:06:04.620 --> 00:06:08.439 that's starting to green up. The truth is that 00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:11.120 right now there's no shortage of things to see. 00:06:11.600 --> 00:06:13.660 Wildlife is one of the biggest reasons to be 00:06:13.660 --> 00:06:16.279 here this week. The northern range is especially 00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:19.199 active. Grizzly bears are emerging from torpor 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:21.779 and are being spotted regularly. Even black bears 00:06:21.779 --> 00:06:24.980 are out. The grizzlies are feeding on winter 00:06:24.980 --> 00:06:27.360 -killed animals or moving across open hillsides 00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:29.920 and digging for roots. Wolves have been visible 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:32.620 almost every day in recent weeks, sometimes close 00:06:32.620 --> 00:06:35.000 enough to watch without spotting scopes or binoculars. 00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:38.639 This level of consistency doesn't usually last 00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:42.410 into the busier months. Bison are also entering 00:06:42.410 --> 00:06:45.410 one of the most iconic seasons. Calving has begun, 00:06:45.930 --> 00:06:48.269 and those small, reddish -orange newborns, often 00:06:48.269 --> 00:06:50.790 called red dogs, are starting to appear across 00:06:50.790 --> 00:06:53.870 the valleys. Bison calves are typically born 00:06:53.870 --> 00:06:56.870 from April through June, with a peak activity 00:06:56.870 --> 00:06:59.470 in the early part of that window. And guess what? 00:06:59.610 --> 00:07:02.490 That's April. April and May, there's baby bison 00:07:02.490 --> 00:07:05.220 everywhere. Seeing them take their first steps 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:06.899 is one of those moments that just sticks with 00:07:06.899 --> 00:07:09.660 you and is so cool. And then when they get like 00:07:09.660 --> 00:07:12.279 the zoomies and run around, it's awesome. And 00:07:12.279 --> 00:07:14.319 you're going to be able to see that right now 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:17.339 without a lot of other people around. Beyond 00:07:17.339 --> 00:07:20.060 wildlife, the landscape itself is starting to 00:07:20.060 --> 00:07:22.500 shift. Lower elevation trails on the northern 00:07:22.500 --> 00:07:26.500 range are mostly snow -free, opening up hiking 00:07:26.500 --> 00:07:28.819 opportunities that feel surprisingly remote for 00:07:28.819 --> 00:07:31.480 this time of year. You can walk a short distance 00:07:31.480 --> 00:07:33.740 from the road and find yourself completely alone. 00:07:34.600 --> 00:07:36.459 It's a rare chance to experience Yellowstone's 00:07:36.459 --> 00:07:39.759 backcountry without feeling like you have to 00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:42.839 really work to be by yourself. And honestly, 00:07:43.100 --> 00:07:46.240 like I say this, it's true, but even in the height 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:49.920 of summer, solitude and seclusion are very easily 00:07:49.920 --> 00:07:52.160 found. If you are traveling in the summer and 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:54.519 that's something you're craving, reach out to 00:07:54.519 --> 00:07:57.420 me. I will hook you up. Better yet, book a tour. 00:07:57.639 --> 00:08:00.199 I will take you to places that no one else goes 00:08:00.199 --> 00:08:03.699 to that are truly stunning. So remember that 00:08:03.699 --> 00:08:06.300 during your visit during the summer. Spring is 00:08:06.300 --> 00:08:08.939 just here right now and right now is a good time 00:08:08.939 --> 00:08:12.399 to see it. Migratory birds are returning, there's 00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:14.720 sounds everywhere, ospreys are beginning to reclaim 00:08:14.720 --> 00:08:17.639 their nesting sites, songbirds are more active 00:08:17.639 --> 00:08:20.220 in the mornings, across the grasslands the first 00:08:20.220 --> 00:08:23.439 hint of green are starting to show through, and 00:08:24.100 --> 00:08:26.439 Even the wildflowers are starting to appear. 00:08:26.620 --> 00:08:29.120 I was out on a hike the other day and I saw the 00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:32.659 early wildflowers and it was awesome. So it's 00:08:32.659 --> 00:08:34.899 a subtle reminder at first and it's easy to miss 00:08:34.899 --> 00:08:37.539 if you're not looking closely, but spring is 00:08:37.539 --> 00:08:41.360 here and this is the time to see it. What makes 00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:44.830 this week special is balance. You still have 00:08:44.830 --> 00:08:48.169 the feeling of early spring, with wildlife concentrated 00:08:48.169 --> 00:08:51.110 and landscape in transition, but without the 00:08:51.110 --> 00:08:53.230 full arrival of all of the people that want to 00:08:53.230 --> 00:08:55.929 see the park. It's a version of Yellowstone that 00:08:55.929 --> 00:08:59.169 feels open, quiet, and most importantly, it's 00:08:59.169 --> 00:09:02.529 unhurried. That's going to change quickly, as 00:09:02.529 --> 00:09:04.950 roads open toward Old Faithful, Norris, and Grand 00:09:04.950 --> 00:09:09.169 Canyon of Yellowstone, the park expands overnight. 00:09:09.730 --> 00:09:12.299 More people arrive, People have a checklist that 00:09:12.299 --> 00:09:15.000 they have to go see everything, traffic increases, 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:18.600 people's patience starts wearing thin, and the 00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:21.460 energy shifts from a quiet observation to full 00:09:21.460 --> 00:09:25.039 summer activity. Now there's absolutely nothing 00:09:25.039 --> 00:09:28.240 wrong with summer activity. Summer in Yellowstone 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:32.120 is amazing and magical in its own right. But 00:09:32.120 --> 00:09:34.460 this week offers something different. It's one 00:09:34.460 --> 00:09:36.799 last chance to see the park before it transitions 00:09:36.799 --> 00:09:40.710 to true tourism season. This is the time to experience 00:09:40.710 --> 00:09:43.730 wildlife without as much pressure, to stand in 00:09:43.730 --> 00:09:46.090 a pullout and hear nothing but wind, distant 00:09:46.090 --> 00:09:49.350 water, or to hike a trail and not see another 00:09:49.350 --> 00:09:51.909 person. If you've ever thought about visiting 00:09:51.909 --> 00:09:54.230 Yellowstone in the shoulder season, this is that 00:09:54.230 --> 00:09:56.350 moment. Just know that it's not going to last 00:09:56.350 --> 00:10:02.690 long. My tip of the week. Spend time at pullouts 00:10:02.690 --> 00:10:06.559 after everyone leaves. Spending time watching 00:10:06.559 --> 00:10:09.019 wildlife in Yellowstone teaches you something 00:10:09.019 --> 00:10:12.340 pretty quickly. Animals aren't on your schedule. 00:10:12.539 --> 00:10:14.840 I mean, obviously, right? They don't show up 00:10:14.840 --> 00:10:16.860 just because you pulled into a turnout and they 00:10:16.860 --> 00:10:18.779 don't wait around for you to get a good picture 00:10:18.779 --> 00:10:21.940 of them. Instead, everything out here works in 00:10:21.940 --> 00:10:24.460 waves. There are moments when the landscape feels 00:10:24.460 --> 00:10:27.200 full of life, and then long stretches where nothing 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:29.960 seems to be happening. And then, just when it 00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:32.500 feels like it's over and everyone gives up, it 00:10:32.500 --> 00:10:35.820 starts up again. Most people have heard the basics. 00:10:36.539 --> 00:10:38.320 Early morning and evening are usually the best 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:41.820 time to see wildlife. National Park Service on 00:10:41.820 --> 00:10:45.200 their website points out that many of Yellowstone's 00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:48.139 large mammals are most active during these cooler 00:10:48.139 --> 00:10:50.580 parts of the day, especially in the warmer months. 00:10:51.340 --> 00:10:54.100 Midday tends to slow things down, animals are 00:10:54.100 --> 00:10:55.799 going to bed down, they're going to move into 00:10:55.799 --> 00:10:58.620 timber, or it just becomes harder to spot them. 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:02.529 But that's an oversimplification of things. There's 00:11:02.529 --> 00:11:05.250 another layer to all of this that you only start 00:11:05.250 --> 00:11:08.389 to notice if you stick around a little longer. 00:11:09.289 --> 00:11:11.750 Animals in Yellowstone don't just move with the 00:11:11.750 --> 00:11:14.649 time of day, they move in cycles. Wolves, elk, 00:11:14.850 --> 00:11:16.789 bison, and bears all have periods when they're 00:11:16.789 --> 00:11:19.190 active, followed by periods when they rest or 00:11:19.190 --> 00:11:21.970 disappear from view. I think we all kind of want 00:11:21.970 --> 00:11:24.950 to do that, right? Or maybe that's just us introverts. 00:11:25.649 --> 00:11:27.889 So research on Yellowstone wolves, for example, 00:11:28.009 --> 00:11:29.730 shows that they alternate between traveling, 00:11:29.809 --> 00:11:32.029 feeding, and resting throughout the day rather 00:11:32.029 --> 00:11:34.409 than staying constantly active or constantly 00:11:34.409 --> 00:11:38.169 napping during the daylight hours. You'll often 00:11:38.169 --> 00:11:40.429 see a pack of wolves or a bear out in the open, 00:11:40.669 --> 00:11:43.269 maybe feeding or just standing there. Someone 00:11:43.269 --> 00:11:46.090 spots them, word spreads, and pretty soon there's 00:11:46.090 --> 00:11:48.490 a line of cars and a cluster of people with binoculars 00:11:48.490 --> 00:11:51.570 and spotting scopes. Tour groups show up and 00:11:51.570 --> 00:11:54.769 pretty soon People are just standing around watching 00:11:54.769 --> 00:11:58.570 the animal. Then, almost like clockwork, the 00:11:58.570 --> 00:12:01.690 animals drift out of sight. From the road, it 00:12:01.690 --> 00:12:04.509 feels like they're gone. People will wait around 00:12:04.509 --> 00:12:07.389 for a bit, but eventually, everyone starts to 00:12:07.389 --> 00:12:10.190 leave. The pullout empties. The assumption is 00:12:10.190 --> 00:12:14.750 that the show is over. Then, not long after that, 00:12:15.269 --> 00:12:17.850 most of the time, the animals come back out. 00:12:18.389 --> 00:12:20.610 This happens all the time. I'm in the park all 00:12:20.610 --> 00:12:23.080 the time, and I see it all the time. It happened 00:12:23.080 --> 00:12:25.659 last week when I was in the park. Wolves were 00:12:25.659 --> 00:12:28.200 out and visible in Slough Creek, and it seemed 00:12:28.200 --> 00:12:30.120 like everyone in the park was there watching 00:12:30.120 --> 00:12:32.580 them. Which, again, there's not a lot of people 00:12:32.580 --> 00:12:35.340 in the park, so it was fine. The weather wasn't 00:12:35.340 --> 00:12:38.279 ideal though, and the wolves were visible, but 00:12:38.279 --> 00:12:41.840 from very far away. The wind picked up, the snow 00:12:41.840 --> 00:12:44.320 started to fall again, and everyone started to 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:47.159 pack up and leave. I was leading a hiking tour 00:12:47.159 --> 00:12:49.779 that day, and we watched everyone leave. and 00:12:49.779 --> 00:12:51.740 then we started hiking down the closed Slough 00:12:51.740 --> 00:12:55.120 Creek Road heading to the trailhead. As we hiked 00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:57.820 on, we stopped and scanned just in case there 00:12:57.820 --> 00:13:00.860 was anything out, and then off to our left, on 00:13:00.860 --> 00:13:03.740 a ridge a few hundred yards away, was a lone 00:13:03.740 --> 00:13:06.539 black wolf on the move, and it was only visible 00:13:06.539 --> 00:13:10.220 to us. We watched it for a few minutes, and then 00:13:10.220 --> 00:13:13.559 it was gone. We hiked on, had a great day, and 00:13:13.559 --> 00:13:16.200 returned to the area. It was only 3 p .m. when 00:13:16.200 --> 00:13:19.059 we got back to the spot where we had a good wolf 00:13:19.059 --> 00:13:22.240 sighting earlier, and then we looked around and 00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:24.220 didn't really see anything from our vantage point, 00:13:24.779 --> 00:13:27.960 but we did see one person up on the hill scanning 00:13:27.960 --> 00:13:30.980 and kind of pointing at something. So we went 00:13:30.980 --> 00:13:34.700 up there and the wolves were once again visible. 00:13:34.740 --> 00:13:37.080 We scanned and saw two wolves in the junction 00:13:37.080 --> 00:13:39.539 of the Junction Butte Pack perfectly visible 00:13:39.539 --> 00:13:42.840 to the naked eye wandering around. As we got 00:13:42.840 --> 00:13:44.960 within sight of the main road, we watched as 00:13:44.960 --> 00:13:47.779 tour groups and carloads of visitors rushed by, 00:13:48.100 --> 00:13:50.960 not knowing that the wolves they struggled to 00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:53.320 see earlier in the day were perfectly visible 00:13:53.320 --> 00:13:57.279 in the warm sun. We were out there looking at 00:13:57.279 --> 00:14:00.919 them, but because not everyone is crowded, they 00:14:00.919 --> 00:14:03.899 didn't get to see them. Later I found out that 00:14:03.899 --> 00:14:07.200 once that snow cleared up, they were visible 00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:10.620 very quickly again, but everyone was gone. So... 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:14.379 This is not unique or random. It's part of that 00:14:14.379 --> 00:14:16.600 natural rhythm of feeding resting and moving 00:14:16.600 --> 00:14:19.120 through the landscape It's also why I push back 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:21.960 when other tour guides in the park Say that wildlife 00:14:21.960 --> 00:14:24.500 like bears and wolves are not visible in the 00:14:24.500 --> 00:14:26.779 middle of the day. There are people who are adamant 00:14:26.779 --> 00:14:30.840 about that And yes sightings are not as common 00:14:30.840 --> 00:14:34.480 But they're also not that rare. I had a conversation 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:37.779 with the tour guide Who was posting about how 00:14:37.779 --> 00:14:39.759 not even to bother looking for wildlife in the 00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:43.129 middle of the day And I pushed back because, 00:14:43.169 --> 00:14:45.690 you know, some people, that's certainly time 00:14:45.690 --> 00:14:48.529 that they can go look for wildlife. And they 00:14:48.529 --> 00:14:50.549 said, well, I've never seen anything. The next 00:14:50.549 --> 00:14:52.909 day, I was driving through the park and I had 00:14:52.909 --> 00:14:55.970 a wolf walk out in the middle of the road, middle 00:14:55.970 --> 00:14:58.889 of the day, 70 degree day in the middle of the 00:14:58.889 --> 00:15:02.789 summer. And I got to see this lone wolf just 00:15:02.789 --> 00:15:05.529 having a day, a couple of a sought and then drift 00:15:05.529 --> 00:15:08.250 away. It's a matter of luck and timing. And that's 00:15:08.250 --> 00:15:11.639 what makes Yellowstone awesome. So I'm definitely 00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:14.539 not saying like always only go looking for wildlife 00:15:14.539 --> 00:15:17.240 in the middle of the day or if something leaves 00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:19.960 stay there all the time. But kind of trust your 00:15:19.960 --> 00:15:22.299 gut or if you don't have anything else to do 00:15:22.299 --> 00:15:25.220 hang out. There's also a case to be said about 00:15:25.220 --> 00:15:27.000 just getting back in the car and seeing what 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:29.980 else you can see. There is no wrong way to see 00:15:29.980 --> 00:15:33.000 Yellowstone's wildlife. Just know that every 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:35.740 choice you make impacts what you may or may not 00:15:35.740 --> 00:15:38.360 see and it's all out of your control so never 00:15:38.360 --> 00:15:42.990 stress it. If the Yellowstone powers that be 00:15:42.990 --> 00:15:45.509 want you to have a good day and see things, then 00:15:45.509 --> 00:15:47.610 you're going to. If it's not in the cards that 00:15:47.610 --> 00:15:49.269 day, you're not going to see anything, and it's 00:15:49.269 --> 00:15:53.129 okay. Now note there's also a human factor in 00:15:53.129 --> 00:15:56.269 animal movement and visibility. Yellowstone wildlife 00:15:56.269 --> 00:15:58.909 is not fully habituated to people, nor should 00:15:58.909 --> 00:16:03.090 it be. Large crowds influence behavior. National 00:16:03.090 --> 00:16:06.250 Park Service website notes that animals may change 00:16:06.250 --> 00:16:09.389 how they use an area in response to disturbances, 00:16:09.529 --> 00:16:11.950 even if it's subtle. Is there a barking dog in 00:16:11.950 --> 00:16:14.350 the pullout? You might have the animals leave. 00:16:14.730 --> 00:16:17.529 Are there kids screaming? Are there adults screaming? 00:16:17.909 --> 00:16:19.990 Is it just loud from people honking horns or 00:16:19.990 --> 00:16:22.710 car alarms going off or doors slamming? Those 00:16:22.710 --> 00:16:26.289 things are going to impact animals. You're going 00:16:26.289 --> 00:16:28.990 to notice this more in the shoulder season when 00:16:28.990 --> 00:16:31.549 there's fewer people around. The ebb and the 00:16:31.549 --> 00:16:33.929 flow become easier to see. In the summer, there's 00:16:33.929 --> 00:16:37.559 just always noise. So it doesn't really seem 00:16:37.559 --> 00:16:39.659 to impact them as much, it does, but it's not 00:16:39.659 --> 00:16:41.639 as visible because they kind of get used to it 00:16:41.639 --> 00:16:44.340 a little bit. But right now it's really easy 00:16:44.340 --> 00:16:47.019 to see. You're going to see animals kind of stressed 00:16:47.019 --> 00:16:50.440 about noise and leave and go out of view. That's 00:16:50.440 --> 00:16:52.759 why when everyone leaves, they might come back 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:54.700 because there's less noise, there's less pressure. 00:16:55.720 --> 00:16:57.899 For visitors, this is one of the most valuable 00:16:57.899 --> 00:17:00.879 lessons you can take away. If you leave the second 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:03.759 things get quiet, you're probably going to miss 00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:06.839 something. Some of my best moments happen after 00:17:06.839 --> 00:17:10.240 that lull when people have already left. Knowing 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:12.380 this changes how you approach wildlife watching. 00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:16.220 Instead of chasing sightings, start to slow down. 00:17:17.339 --> 00:17:20.259 You stay put a little longer. You watch more 00:17:20.259 --> 00:17:23.180 carefully. You watch more casually. You realize 00:17:23.180 --> 00:17:25.700 that what looks like nothing happened is actually 00:17:25.700 --> 00:17:29.299 just a pause before the next movement. Yellowstone 00:17:29.299 --> 00:17:32.589 really rewards patience. The animals are still 00:17:32.589 --> 00:17:35.410 there, moving through their own rhythms, whether 00:17:35.410 --> 00:17:38.829 anyone is watching or not. If you give it time, 00:17:39.230 --> 00:17:40.950 chances are good that they're going to come back 00:17:40.950 --> 00:17:43.829 into view. And if they don't, you're still hanging 00:17:43.829 --> 00:17:46.150 out in the beautiful landscapes of Yellowstone, 00:17:46.190 --> 00:17:50.130 so it's hard to complain. My random Yellowstone 00:17:50.130 --> 00:17:53.710 fact of the week. Bear management areas. This 00:17:53.710 --> 00:17:56.950 was a request via email, so... Thank you for 00:17:56.950 --> 00:18:00.130 submitting this and hopefully I explain it well. 00:18:00.369 --> 00:18:03.609 So bear management areas or BMAs are one of those 00:18:03.609 --> 00:18:05.650 things you might hear about when planning a spring 00:18:05.650 --> 00:18:08.329 trip to Yellowstone National Park. I also impact 00:18:08.329 --> 00:18:11.450 some summer movement but not a ton. They sound 00:18:11.450 --> 00:18:13.910 like a really big deal and in some ways they 00:18:13.910 --> 00:18:17.250 are but for the overwhelming majority of visitors 00:18:17.250 --> 00:18:20.029 they end up having very little impact on what 00:18:20.029 --> 00:18:23.200 you can actually do in the park. Each year, the 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:25.759 National Park Service puts these seasonal restrictions 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:28.940 in place in areas where bears are more likely 00:18:28.940 --> 00:18:32.480 to be feeding or moving through. Most BMAs go 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:35.200 into effect around March 10th, right as grizzly 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:38.160 bears begin to emerge from denning. Adult males, 00:18:38.180 --> 00:18:40.940 often called boars, are usually the first out, 00:18:41.000 --> 00:18:42.960 followed by the females with cubs later in the 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:46.099 spring. After months without eating, bears are 00:18:46.099 --> 00:18:48.259 trying to regain weight as quickly as possible, 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:50.960 often by feeding on winter -killed elk and bison. 00:18:51.279 --> 00:18:54.079 Giving them space during this time is critical. 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:57.380 There are a few well -known areas where BMAs 00:18:57.380 --> 00:19:00.380 impact visitation. Pelican Valley is probably 00:19:00.380 --> 00:19:03.720 the one that most people know. There used to 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:06.880 be a bear management area located near the Grand 00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:09.279 Prismatic overlooking out to Fairy Falls in the 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:13.700 spring, but because of bear shifting locations 00:19:13.700 --> 00:19:16.910 that no longer is in effect. Pelican Valley is 00:19:16.910 --> 00:19:19.549 one of the strictest places in the park and it's 00:19:19.549 --> 00:19:23.529 usually closed to all travel until early July 00:19:23.529 --> 00:19:25.650 because it's such an important grizzly habitat. 00:19:26.410 --> 00:19:29.230 Other areas like Washburn and Firehole have a 00:19:29.230 --> 00:19:31.470 mix of closures and limited access depending 00:19:31.470 --> 00:19:34.130 on the situation. Most of these restrictions 00:19:34.130 --> 00:19:38.250 stay in place until late June or July 1st though 00:19:38.250 --> 00:19:41.710 the exact dates can shift a bit each year. The 00:19:41.710 --> 00:19:45.559 main one in the interior right now is out by 00:19:45.559 --> 00:19:50.420 Mary Mountain as well. That's where the Grand 00:19:50.420 --> 00:19:52.559 Prismatic Overlook was part of that closure, 00:19:52.980 --> 00:19:55.259 but Mary Mountain, you definitely don't want 00:19:55.259 --> 00:19:57.220 to be going out there and shouldn't be until 00:19:57.220 --> 00:19:59.920 it's open. Since bear management areas don't 00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:04.140 really impact very many people, you can go to 00:20:04.140 --> 00:20:06.000 places like Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, 00:20:06.140 --> 00:20:08.140 the Grand Canyon, the Yellowstone, Lamar Valley, 00:20:08.380 --> 00:20:10.420 all of those. Those are still fully accessible. 00:20:10.599 --> 00:20:13.140 Roads are open, pullouts are open, and the main 00:20:13.140 --> 00:20:16.359 attractions operate as usual. Even when it comes 00:20:16.359 --> 00:20:19.460 to hiking, there's still plenty of options. A 00:20:19.460 --> 00:20:22.720 few trails, like we're talking a handful at most, 00:20:23.160 --> 00:20:25.819 might have time restrictions, but unless you're 00:20:25.819 --> 00:20:28.359 specifically planning a backcountry route into 00:20:28.359 --> 00:20:31.420 one of these areas, you won't run into closures 00:20:31.420 --> 00:20:34.630 at all. And this is by design. The National Park 00:20:34.630 --> 00:20:36.890 Service sets up these VMAs to protect the areas 00:20:36.890 --> 00:20:39.269 that matter most to bears while keeping the park 00:20:39.269 --> 00:20:42.029 open and accessible for visitors. It's a way 00:20:42.029 --> 00:20:46.130 of balancing conservation with access, and it 00:20:46.130 --> 00:20:49.210 works pretty well. There's also a safety angle. 00:20:49.789 --> 00:20:51.549 Early spring is one of the most sensitive times 00:20:51.549 --> 00:20:53.910 of the year, especially with bears feeding on 00:20:53.910 --> 00:20:57.250 carcasses or moving with cubs. Keeping people 00:20:57.250 --> 00:20:59.930 out of certain areas lowers the chances of close 00:20:59.930 --> 00:21:02.910 encounters, which is better for everyone involved. 00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:06.359 people, and bears. So if you're visiting this 00:21:06.359 --> 00:21:09.880 time of year, it might be worth pulling up the 00:21:09.880 --> 00:21:12.859 map of the bear management areas. You know, it's 00:21:12.859 --> 00:21:14.960 interesting, but it's probably not going to impact 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:17.940 you that much. Check current conditions, take 00:21:17.940 --> 00:21:19.900 a look at that map if you're heading out on a 00:21:19.900 --> 00:21:22.500 hike, and pay attention to any posted signs. 00:21:22.839 --> 00:21:24.960 That's the most important thing you can do. If 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:27.160 there's a bear frequenting an area, you're going 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:29.599 to see a sign that says bear frequenting area, 00:21:29.880 --> 00:21:32.420 sometimes with a date and time and location. 00:21:32.819 --> 00:21:35.019 If it's bad enough, they will close the trail. 00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:38.519 This is what the park will do to keep everybody 00:21:38.519 --> 00:21:42.099 and the bears safe and still allow you to have 00:21:42.099 --> 00:21:44.700 an amazing time in the backcountry of Yellowstone. 00:21:45.920 --> 00:21:49.220 The weather for the coming week. As always, this 00:21:49.220 --> 00:21:51.240 is the best forecast I can give you for the whole 00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:54.460 seven days. The sooner the days are to when I'm 00:21:54.460 --> 00:21:56.180 recording this, the more accurate it's going 00:21:56.180 --> 00:21:59.039 to be as we get to five, six, seven days out. 00:21:59.480 --> 00:22:02.220 This is just going to work as a ballpark. Also, 00:22:02.220 --> 00:22:04.619 I'm a little sad because this is the like last 00:22:04.619 --> 00:22:07.200 time I get to do a weather report with only three 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:10.160 locations. I now have to add other places. So 00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:12.119 weather reports getting just a little bit longer. 00:22:12.759 --> 00:22:15.079 I mean, it's already longer because I'm doing 00:22:15.079 --> 00:22:17.420 this rant. So anyway, here's the weather for 00:22:17.420 --> 00:22:21.200 Lamar Valley this week on Thursday, high of 56. 00:22:21.579 --> 00:22:26.039 Low of 28, 3 % chance of rain. Friday, high of 00:22:26.039 --> 00:22:30.579 60, low of 35, 24 % chance of rain mostly in 00:22:30.579 --> 00:22:35.640 the evening. Saturday, 57 and 35, with a 50 % 00:22:35.640 --> 00:22:39.740 chance of rain, mostly in the afternoon. Sunday, 00:22:40.359 --> 00:22:44.680 51, 31, 50 % chance of snow, less than an inch. 00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:49.500 Monday, 45 and 29, 30 % chance of a quarter inch 00:22:49.500 --> 00:22:54.619 of rain or snow. Tuesday 46 and 30 with a 23 00:22:54.619 --> 00:22:58.680 % chance of precipitation and Wednesday 48 and 00:22:58.680 --> 00:23:03.380 34 with a 46 % chance of some rain Gardener, 00:23:03.400 --> 00:23:08.579 Montana on Thursday high of 59 low at 31 3 % 00:23:08.579 --> 00:23:13.839 chance of rain Friday 63 and 38 with a 24 % chance 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:17.299 of rain in the afternoon evening Saturday 59 00:23:17.299 --> 00:23:20.640 and 38 24 % chance of rain throughout the day 00:23:20.920 --> 00:23:26.200 Sunday 52 and 32 with a 33 percent chance of 00:23:26.200 --> 00:23:29.819 two hundredths of an inch of rain Monday 49 and 00:23:29.819 --> 00:23:33.500 31 with a 39 percent chance about a quarter inch 00:23:33.500 --> 00:23:38.779 of snow Tuesday 49 and 32 with a 24 percent chance 00:23:38.779 --> 00:23:43.640 of precipitation Wednesday 51 and 35 with a 46 00:23:43.640 --> 00:23:46.259 percent chance of four hundredths of an inch 00:23:46.259 --> 00:23:51.319 of rain and finally Cook City, Montana On Thursday, 00:23:51.480 --> 00:23:56.099 high of 50, low of 29, 5 % chance of rain. Friday, 00:23:56.779 --> 00:24:00.539 54 and 36, 24 % chance of rain. Afternoon and 00:24:00.539 --> 00:24:03.059 evening, just like everywhere else. Saturday, 00:24:03.720 --> 00:24:06.819 52 and 34, with a 50 % chance of rain, about 00:24:06.819 --> 00:24:11.259 a tenth of an inch. Sunday, wettest day, 46 and 00:24:11.259 --> 00:24:14.559 28, 44 % chance of maybe a half inch of snow 00:24:14.559 --> 00:24:18.059 or some heavy rain. Monday, High of 40, low of 00:24:18.059 --> 00:24:21.420 25. 41 % chance about a quarter inch of snow 00:24:21.420 --> 00:24:27.000 or rain. Tuesday, 43 and 27, with a 24 % chance 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:30.559 of some sort of precipitation. Wednesday, 44 00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:33.220 and 31, with a 50 % chance about a half inch 00:24:33.220 --> 00:24:36.079 of snow. So that's the weather forecast for the 00:24:36.079 --> 00:24:38.740 week. Looks like a decent start to the weekend, 00:24:38.759 --> 00:24:40.779 and then it's going to be cloudy and wet, but 00:24:40.779 --> 00:24:44.400 still gorgeous. Go to the park. The snowpack 00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:47.920 update. As of April 8th, the snowpack is around 00:24:47.920 --> 00:24:51.180 78 % of normal for this time of year. The eastern 00:24:51.180 --> 00:24:54.000 and northern ranges of the park are at 93 % of 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:56.240 normal, while the western and southern sides 00:24:56.240 --> 00:24:59.660 are about 67 % of normal. Last year on this date, 00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:04.559 we were averaging around 98 % of our normal level. 00:25:05.960 --> 00:25:09.079 Road conditions. The only road open is the road 00:25:09.079 --> 00:25:11.339 between Gardiner and Cook City this week. It's 00:25:11.339 --> 00:25:14.200 going to change next week. Looks like the weather 00:25:14.200 --> 00:25:15.980 is going to be pretty good. I don't expect any 00:25:15.980 --> 00:25:19.079 closures to happen, so be aware of that construction 00:25:19.079 --> 00:25:21.559 though. If you want up -to -date information 00:25:21.559 --> 00:25:26.619 on the road conditions, call 307 -344 -2117 for 00:25:26.619 --> 00:25:29.200 a recorded message, or you can sign up to receive 00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:31.619 Yellowstone Road Alerts on your mobile phone 00:25:31.619 --> 00:25:38.440 by texting 82190 to the number 888... 777 camping 00:25:38.440 --> 00:25:40.980 information there's only one campground open 00:25:40.980 --> 00:25:43.019 in the park right now and that's the mammoth 00:25:43.019 --> 00:25:45.799 campground which is open year round there's also 00:25:45.799 --> 00:25:48.880 campgrounds opening outside of the park if you're 00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:50.799 looking at those or want to know about those 00:25:50.799 --> 00:25:54.799 reach out to me happy to share the wildlife watching 00:25:54.799 --> 00:25:58.359 update So wildlife watching right now, as you've 00:25:58.359 --> 00:26:01.400 heard, is pretty good. It's been a slow couple 00:26:01.400 --> 00:26:03.599 of days, but before that it was a very active 00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:06.720 couple of days. So that's just kind of the nature 00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:11.539 of how the park is. So right now you're gonna 00:26:11.539 --> 00:26:14.519 see some bison hanging around, mammoth and gardener. 00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:16.440 You're gonna see some elk and pronghorn out there 00:26:16.440 --> 00:26:20.160 as well. And then as you get towards like Blacktail 00:26:20.160 --> 00:26:22.960 Plateau, there's gonna be some... or blacktail 00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:25.019 ponds there's going to be some bison and stuff 00:26:25.019 --> 00:26:27.599 you're also then going to start seeing some black 00:26:27.599 --> 00:26:32.279 bears potentially around that blacktail plateau 00:26:32.279 --> 00:26:35.660 road it's closed right now but it's a good time 00:26:35.660 --> 00:26:37.599 of the year to see some early ones there that 00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:41.119 are by phantom lake there's some moose out by 00:26:41.119 --> 00:26:44.470 cook city still uh wolves have just kind of been 00:26:44.470 --> 00:26:46.869 hit and miss all over the place they might be 00:26:46.869 --> 00:26:49.490 at hell roaring they might be visible out in 00:26:49.490 --> 00:26:52.490 lamar or at slew creek or in little america so 00:26:52.490 --> 00:26:54.029 you're just gonna have to drive and put in some 00:26:54.029 --> 00:26:56.369 work to see those there's been some grizzlies 00:26:56.369 --> 00:27:00.730 hanging out by lamar valley like the footbridge 00:27:00.730 --> 00:27:03.509 area if you go out that way they're off in the 00:27:03.509 --> 00:27:05.609 distance also there has been a grizzly that's 00:27:05.609 --> 00:27:08.269 by junction butte and it's been really just hanging 00:27:08.269 --> 00:27:10.569 out Pretty near the road, people got some really 00:27:10.569 --> 00:27:12.329 good pictures just with their phones the other 00:27:12.329 --> 00:27:14.769 day. You're going to have some Sanhok cranes 00:27:14.769 --> 00:27:16.529 in the park. You're going to have some bluebirds, 00:27:16.690 --> 00:27:18.990 western meadowlarks. You're going to be getting 00:27:18.990 --> 00:27:22.569 a bunch of different other birds moving in migratory. 00:27:23.170 --> 00:27:27.309 I did hear a little bit about otters being spotted 00:27:27.309 --> 00:27:30.869 near the confluence, but those are so hit and 00:27:30.869 --> 00:27:33.069 miss to see that they're there one day and then 00:27:33.069 --> 00:27:34.869 they're not there for another two weeks. But 00:27:34.869 --> 00:27:37.089 it's always worth a stop to kind of sit and scan 00:27:37.089 --> 00:27:40.450 real quick. other than that bison babies are 00:27:40.450 --> 00:27:42.990 being born little america and lamar is where 00:27:42.990 --> 00:27:44.829 you're probably going to see those it's only 00:27:44.829 --> 00:27:47.630 a couple right now but every day every week that 00:27:47.630 --> 00:27:50.170 passes there's going to be more until we have 00:27:50.170 --> 00:27:52.869 just that explosion of baby bison all around 00:27:52.869 --> 00:27:55.549 um not really an explosion that would be awful 00:27:55.549 --> 00:27:58.849 but you know it's it's a good time it's just 00:27:58.849 --> 00:28:02.500 hit and miss and every day that passes is another 00:28:02.500 --> 00:28:04.579 day that more bears are going to be out which 00:28:04.579 --> 00:28:07.779 means that there's a potential for more carcasses 00:28:07.779 --> 00:28:10.180 if the wolves are taking things down and then 00:28:10.180 --> 00:28:11.900 the bears are going to go to the carcasses and 00:28:11.900 --> 00:28:14.480 then you're going to have all this activity uh 00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:17.759 bald eagles are all out it's great to see osprey 00:28:17.759 --> 00:28:20.579 are coming back it's really cool it's a great 00:28:20.579 --> 00:28:23.259 time of the year i absolutely love it if you 00:28:23.259 --> 00:28:26.619 need to go into the park even for the day recommend 00:28:26.619 --> 00:28:28.920 saturday probably or even sunday wouldn't be 00:28:28.920 --> 00:28:33.779 bad But again, wildlife is just gonna be hit 00:28:33.779 --> 00:28:36.039 -and -miss for a little bit just with the weather 00:28:36.039 --> 00:28:39.160 systems moving in so put in some work at least 00:28:39.160 --> 00:28:45.140 go from the hell -roaring area out to Round Prairie 00:28:45.140 --> 00:28:47.160 and Pebble Creek and back a couple of times and 00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:49.039 you should be able to see some good things Oh 00:28:49.039 --> 00:28:51.759 big horn sheep have also been hanging out near 00:28:51.759 --> 00:28:55.599 the hot springs north of the park Yellowstone 00:28:55.599 --> 00:28:59.180 Hot Springs and also around the Tower Junction 00:28:59.180 --> 00:29:04.420 area, especially Junction Butte. Trail alerts 00:29:04.420 --> 00:29:06.720 and updates. There's no official trail alerts. 00:29:06.759 --> 00:29:08.920 We're going to be getting those pretty soon as 00:29:08.920 --> 00:29:11.579 more staffing comes in. They start hiking more. 00:29:11.980 --> 00:29:15.619 Just know that Carry your bear spray be very 00:29:15.619 --> 00:29:18.740 bear aware. They are out there This is not the 00:29:18.740 --> 00:29:20.680 time you want to get too close to one You never 00:29:20.680 --> 00:29:23.220 want to get too close to one. This is definitely 00:29:23.220 --> 00:29:27.279 like a bad time to sneak up on a bear So be loud 00:29:27.279 --> 00:29:29.619 carry your bear spray have it readily accessible 00:29:29.619 --> 00:29:33.359 quickly accessible and know how to use it other 00:29:33.359 --> 00:29:37.279 than that Enjoy it. It's great I'm gonna tell 00:29:37.279 --> 00:29:40.269 you where to hike in just a second but if you're 00:29:40.269 --> 00:29:42.250 looking for a hike that i'm not mentioning right 00:29:42.250 --> 00:29:45.569 now this week swing down to hell roaring or do 00:29:45.569 --> 00:29:48.609 lost lake those are my those are my tips all 00:29:48.609 --> 00:29:52.009 right my truck of the week slew creek road and 00:29:52.009 --> 00:29:55.079 trail As Yellowstone National Park starts to 00:29:55.079 --> 00:29:58.220 transition into spring's opening phase, some 00:29:58.220 --> 00:30:00.160 of the best experiences are actually happening 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:02.980 just before everything opens. Side roads that 00:30:02.980 --> 00:30:05.099 are going to be open and soon busy with vehicle 00:30:05.099 --> 00:30:08.019 traffic are still closed, and for a short window, 00:30:08.480 --> 00:30:11.640 they turn into a quiet, walkable route into some 00:30:11.640 --> 00:30:14.839 of the park's best wildlife habitat. One of these 00:30:14.839 --> 00:30:18.630 best places right now, Slough Creek. Walking 00:30:18.630 --> 00:30:20.930 the Slough Creek Road and continuing on the Slough 00:30:20.930 --> 00:30:23.769 Creek Trail to First Meadow this time of the 00:30:23.769 --> 00:30:26.569 year is something special. Once the road opens 00:30:26.569 --> 00:30:29.650 to vehicles, the experience changes completely. 00:30:29.910 --> 00:30:33.109 For now though, it's quiet, open, and incredibly 00:30:33.109 --> 00:30:36.549 productive for wildlife. Lamar and Slough are 00:30:36.549 --> 00:30:39.410 kind of those hand -in -hand best wildlife corridors, 00:30:39.990 --> 00:30:42.309 especially for wolves, bears, and grazing animals. 00:30:42.680 --> 00:30:44.720 I was out here last week leading a tour, as I 00:30:44.720 --> 00:30:47.380 said before, and it delivered in a big way. We 00:30:47.380 --> 00:30:50.160 saw wolves hiking along with a wide range of 00:30:50.160 --> 00:30:52.779 other wildlife along the route. We also came 00:30:52.779 --> 00:30:55.680 across a bison skull, moose antlers, and an elk 00:30:55.680 --> 00:30:58.500 antler. It's the kind of place where you're constantly 00:30:58.500 --> 00:31:01.380 reminded that this landscape is actively being 00:31:01.380 --> 00:31:03.920 used by animals every day. It's also the trail 00:31:03.920 --> 00:31:06.819 that I usually see my first bear sighting of 00:31:06.819 --> 00:31:10.180 the year. Didn't see one this year or this last 00:31:10.180 --> 00:31:12.970 trip. but guarantee that when I go out there 00:31:12.970 --> 00:31:14.950 one of these times I'm going to see a grizzly 00:31:14.950 --> 00:31:19.549 or some black bears. The route itself very simple 00:31:19.549 --> 00:31:22.329 and makes for a great day. You park at the start 00:31:22.329 --> 00:31:24.789 of Slough Creek Road and you walk down the road. 00:31:25.609 --> 00:31:27.950 It's a gradual descent with a couple rolling 00:31:27.950 --> 00:31:30.289 hills and there's plenty of opportunities to 00:31:30.289 --> 00:31:32.930 scan hillsides and open terrain. After a few 00:31:32.930 --> 00:31:36.069 miles you reach the trailhead where the Slough 00:31:36.069 --> 00:31:38.920 Creek Trail continues into the backcountry. This 00:31:38.920 --> 00:31:40.339 is where you want to go. You could walk down 00:31:40.339 --> 00:31:42.579 to the campground. There will be some bear tracks 00:31:42.579 --> 00:31:44.119 and stuff down there, but you want to go into 00:31:44.119 --> 00:31:48.039 First Meadow. So hop on the trail and hike the 00:31:48.039 --> 00:31:51.460 path that leads up and over a hill before dropping 00:31:51.460 --> 00:31:55.059 into First Meadow. This meadow is the main destination 00:31:55.059 --> 00:31:57.779 for most people this time of year. It's wide, 00:31:58.039 --> 00:32:00.900 it's open, and it offers excellent visibility, 00:32:00.980 --> 00:32:03.339 making it the perfect place to sit, have a snack, 00:32:03.420 --> 00:32:06.079 and spend time watching the landscape. We did 00:32:06.079 --> 00:32:09.980 just that. last week and saw some elk, saw tons 00:32:09.980 --> 00:32:12.819 of bison, saw some cool birds, and then like 00:32:12.819 --> 00:32:16.279 I said we saw bison skull, we found moose antlers, 00:32:16.339 --> 00:32:20.000 it was awesome. There is a rocky outcropping 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:22.440 in the first meadow. If you're hiking on the 00:32:22.440 --> 00:32:23.960 trail it's going to be on your left once you 00:32:23.960 --> 00:32:25.720 get there. There's a patrol cabin on the right, 00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:27.960 you'll want to go to the top of the rocks on 00:32:27.960 --> 00:32:31.619 the left and sit and scan. No round trip that 00:32:31.619 --> 00:32:34.640 this is about nine miles with 900 feet of elevation. 00:32:35.619 --> 00:32:38.039 But it's manageable and it feels like you've 00:32:38.039 --> 00:32:40.200 gone somewhere. I've written about this route 00:32:40.200 --> 00:32:42.500 in so much detail in my hiking guidebook to the 00:32:42.500 --> 00:32:44.599 Greater Yellowstone ecosystem that if you're 00:32:44.599 --> 00:32:46.359 interested in finding more hikes like this or 00:32:46.359 --> 00:32:49.680 more about this trail, reach out to me, pick 00:32:49.680 --> 00:32:52.339 up a copy of this book. It's a great resource 00:32:52.339 --> 00:32:56.339 to have along. Slough Creek itself is also well 00:32:56.339 --> 00:32:58.420 known for its clear water and native Yellowstone 00:32:58.420 --> 00:33:01.910 cutthroat trout. uh this drainage is one of the 00:33:01.910 --> 00:33:04.509 park's premier backcountry fisheries which speaks 00:33:04.509 --> 00:33:06.730 to the overall health and importance of the ecosystem 00:33:06.730 --> 00:33:09.170 here well it's not as good as it used to be if 00:33:09.170 --> 00:33:12.529 you talk to anybody who fishes this area it's 00:33:12.529 --> 00:33:15.630 still pretty cool once you're in this meadow 00:33:15.630 --> 00:33:19.049 it's just a cool place to hang out this isn't 00:33:19.049 --> 00:33:21.759 a place to rush through You know, wolves move 00:33:21.759 --> 00:33:24.319 through this area regularly, bears use the same 00:33:24.319 --> 00:33:27.259 corridors, elk, bison, and pronghorn are common. 00:33:27.680 --> 00:33:29.859 You're not just hiking to a viewpoint, you're 00:33:29.859 --> 00:33:32.599 stepping into one of the most active wildlife 00:33:32.599 --> 00:33:35.779 areas in the park. Now this also means that you 00:33:35.779 --> 00:33:38.480 need to stay alert. Spring and early summer bring 00:33:38.480 --> 00:33:41.400 a lot of animal activity here, especially for 00:33:41.400 --> 00:33:44.569 bears emerging from their dens. Bison also use 00:33:44.569 --> 00:33:48.509 this road and trail a lot. So know that you need 00:33:48.509 --> 00:33:51.569 to stay 100 yards at all times from bears and 00:33:51.569 --> 00:33:53.289 wolves, even if they're walking towards you, 00:33:53.390 --> 00:33:56.470 walk away. Keep that same 100 yard distance at 00:33:56.470 --> 00:33:59.930 all times. Same goes for other wildlife with 00:33:59.930 --> 00:34:03.630 a 25 yard viewing distance. If a bison walks 00:34:03.630 --> 00:34:07.329 towards you, keep a 25 yard or more viewing distance. 00:34:07.450 --> 00:34:09.550 If any animal does, if any animal approaches 00:34:09.550 --> 00:34:11.570 you, that doesn't mean that it's going to be 00:34:11.570 --> 00:34:13.929 friendly and you can just stand there. keep moving 00:34:13.929 --> 00:34:16.289 away from it i say this because i see this happen 00:34:16.289 --> 00:34:18.389 all the time and then people are like i didn't 00:34:18.389 --> 00:34:20.489 know i thought it was coming up to say hi and 00:34:20.489 --> 00:34:23.250 i'm like are you serious it was a bull elk in 00:34:23.250 --> 00:34:25.289 the middle of the rut like don't do this it's 00:34:25.289 --> 00:34:29.369 not safe um you know just be smart if animals 00:34:29.369 --> 00:34:31.130 are on the trail you're gonna have to walk around 00:34:31.130 --> 00:34:33.289 them off trail and if they're blocking the trail 00:34:33.289 --> 00:34:35.550 on the way out maybe you just have to turn around 00:34:35.550 --> 00:34:39.190 to do something else but that's just what it's 00:34:39.190 --> 00:34:41.440 like hiking in yellowstone Now, what makes the 00:34:41.440 --> 00:34:43.619 experience of Slough Creek standout right now 00:34:43.619 --> 00:34:46.420 is the timing. In a matter of weeks, the road's 00:34:46.420 --> 00:34:48.760 going to open, vehicles return, and the feel 00:34:48.760 --> 00:34:50.699 of the area is going to shift. There's a wolf 00:34:50.699 --> 00:34:53.019 den that has been used multiple years out here, 00:34:53.380 --> 00:34:55.059 and that road that you'll walk down that has 00:34:55.059 --> 00:34:56.940 no one else on it will have hundreds of cars 00:34:56.940 --> 00:35:00.840 soon. This is a quiet, peaceful, awesome area 00:35:00.840 --> 00:35:03.239 that I absolutely love, and I think you will 00:35:03.239 --> 00:35:06.940 too. All right, that's it for this week's episode. 00:35:07.260 --> 00:35:09.630 Next week... You know what I'm gonna say. I'm 00:35:09.630 --> 00:35:11.650 gonna return with all the information you need 00:35:11.650 --> 00:35:14.110 to have a good week in the park, including wildlife, 00:35:14.269 --> 00:35:16.769 weather, and trail updates, and the opening of 00:35:16.769 --> 00:35:20.349 the roads. Until then, really consider booking 00:35:20.349 --> 00:35:23.409 a tour with me. I enjoy this podcast a lot, and 00:35:23.409 --> 00:35:24.969 I know a lot of you do, and if you're headed 00:35:24.969 --> 00:35:26.969 to the park, it'd mean a lot if you join me for 00:35:26.969 --> 00:35:30.230 a hike. If you can't do that, consider picking 00:35:30.230 --> 00:35:32.670 up a guidebook of mine. Nearly everybody that 00:35:32.670 --> 00:35:35.280 buys a book thanks me for... Having those books 00:35:35.280 --> 00:35:38.559 make their trip so well Really happy to help 00:35:38.559 --> 00:35:41.239 you out reach out to me. And if you're coming 00:35:41.239 --> 00:35:43.460 to the park again, reach out to me Let me know 00:35:43.460 --> 00:35:46.400 maybe we'll meet up. I'll say hi. I will sign 00:35:46.400 --> 00:35:49.139 your phone No, I'm not gonna do any of that, 00:35:49.300 --> 00:35:53.739 but I will say hi. So until next week happy trails 00:36:04.849 --> 00:36:07.610 Abrupt ending! This week in Yellowstone is brought 00:36:07.610 --> 00:36:09.969 to you by The Outdoor Society. That's my company. 00:36:10.349 --> 00:36:12.650 It's just me, I do this, it's a labor of love. 00:36:13.030 --> 00:36:15.269 If you like it, tell your friends, rate and review 00:36:15.269 --> 00:36:18.590 it. Shoot me a message. Otherwise, keep listening 00:36:18.590 --> 00:36:21.429 and I hope to see you in Yellowstone. Copyright 00:36:21.429 --> 00:36:22.929 2026, baby!